Module 2: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Bibliographic Citation: Blume, Judy. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. New York: Yearling Books, 1970.

Plot Summary:

Margaret has just moved to a new city with her parents, away from her Jewish grandmother.  Margaret is in 6th grade and she has realized that she doesn't really have a religion.  One side of her family is Jewish and the other is Catholic.  Aside from trying to decide on a religion, she is also going through young girl dilemmas, such as buying her first bra, her bra size, getting her period, and being jealous of another peer whom has developed.  Margaret thinks its great she has developed and envies her, but later learns the young girl doesn't feel comfortable with her body.  Margaret prays to a god every night, and then stops one day when she is mad at him.  Eventually she begins praying again.

My Impressions of the Book:

This is definitely one of my favorite books!  I loved Margaret and her honesty.  She reminded me of when I was in 6th grade and the novel took me back to the days when worries were pretty petty but seemed to be huge at the time.  Margaret goes through all the issues a young girl goes through, the body changes or lack of, and the panic that comes with that.  I think this is a cute novel that should be read by all pre-teens because it reminds girls that they aren't alone in their worries.     

Review(s) About the Book & My Thoughts:

Barnes and Nobles Editorial Review

Publishers Weekly

Judy Blume's body of work returns to her original editor, Richard Jackson, with the rerelease of four classics in hardcover. An African-American family moves to all-white Grove Street in Iggie's House, to be released in April. The author's breakthrough title, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, about 11-year old Margaret Simon's struggles with puberty and religion, is now available in hardcover as well as in a Spanish-language edition, Estas ahi Dios? Soy yo, Margaret. Two additional titles came out last season: Blubber takes on preteen teasing; and It's Not the End of the World explores the effects of divorce. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Barnes and Nobles Editorial Review

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret is Judy Blume's account of what it is like to be an almost 12-year-old girl whose greatest desire is just to be normal. The novel is honest and forthright. Margaret Simon worries that she doesn't have anything to fill her bra, that she will be the last girl in her group of friends to start menstruating, that she just won't fit in. And to compound things, she has no religion, so she can't join either the Jewish Community Center or the Protestant Youth Center in her new neighborhood. This recorded version of Margaret's conversations with God, her parents, friends and us, the audience, is even more authentic than the book. Laura Hamilton's reading captures Margaret's anxiety in her conversations with God, her indignation in some conversations with her parents, and her enthusiasm and vulnerability in conversations with her friends. She can emphasize the girls' fixation with the pronunciation of new words in their life, as well as Margaret's pain when she is forced to cancel her planned holiday visit to Florida to see her much loved grandmother. Listeners seem to be co-conspirators, sympathetic friends, and always important members of Margaret's entourage. This conversational story is well-served here.Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Washington, DC

Use in Library Setting:

I would use this book in a book talk to a group of girls, promoting it and giving some interesting details from the book.  I would also recommend this book to 6th grade teachers and/or middle school counselors, adults that can recommend this book to girls learning how to love and appreciate who they are.